Walking usually just gets you from point A to point B, but for thousands of Cupertino kids, walking also earns a chance to win a free iPod.
Until April 13, students who walk to school as part of the Walk-One-Week program, which began March 30, have a chance to win a number of prizes such as an iPod, gift cards to iTunes or to stores such as Jamba Juice.
The prizes are mostly a sweet temptation dangled in front of students to get them to participate in what some environmentally aware students are really after—saving the environment.
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“WOW is a way to make saving the environment fun,” says Shailee Samar, a ninth-grader at . “This time, the WOW program is going to be for two weeks, giving enough time for the students to get used to the fresh clean spring air and realize how walking can be lot of fun as well. And, of course, this helps save gas, reduce traffic and let Earth breathe fresh air as well.”
Shailee is a member of Cupertino’s Teen Commission, which supports the WOW program by providing brochures, banners and other material to the 10 participating schools.
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Shailee started the WOW program at three years ago when she attended the school. The program continues with the help of the school’s e-Club and members such as eighth-graders Neha Sharma, 14, and Sonali Dutta, 13.
Neha and Sonali organized a poster-making party at Lawson to promote WOW and were responsible for soliciting donations and buying the prizes with money funded by the Walk, Bike and Carpool grant through the city of Cupertino.
There were about 40 posters up around the campus until rain washed off much of the art and writing, leaving a handful remaining.
Each WOW event—which happens about twice yearly—sees an increase in participation, according to Shailee, and is now at about 40 percent of the student body.
WOW typically takes place around Earth Day, but Neha pointed out that the school will be on break that week.
“And speaking of earth, the spring is in the air, and even the rains have just stopped in time for the students to start walking,” says Shailee.
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